There are of course lots of ways in which valuations can be carried out, all with their advantages and disadvantages. We have mentioned many of these below. None is perfect, but taxes are all to some extent arbitrary and have their hard edges. The basic principle of funding government out of charges on the resulting rental values is far more important than the precise details. Business Rates valuations...

Note: FAT = full agricultural tenancy, FBT = farm business tenancy Source: DEFRA Farm Rents England 2011/12 Published 7 March 2013

Rights campaigner Andy Wightman has written A Land Value Tax for England, which presents the case concisely. My only criticism is that he refers to “annual rental values” and then talks about an initial rate of around 2%, which is presumably 2% of the selling price, and therefore about 30% of rental value. Apart from the need to go over these figures, this can be recommended. It is not...

This discussion paper on valuation by the residual method is presented for criticism and comment.

It is generally suggested that for LVT valuation purposes, it should be assumed that the land is in the “highest and best use in accordance with the local plan”. I would question this. Should it not be “existing use or on the assumption that developments in accordance with planning consents have been completed”? This gets rid of all room for doubt. It also means that valuations...

This article on the principles of valuation by Christopher Glover is commended as an introductory guide and is reproduced by kind permission of the author. It is published on this website in order to promote discussion on the subject, and although it is broadly in line with the Campaign’s own views, does not necessarily reflect its views in detail. 1. In order to tax land values, the value...

I have been involved in a long discussion with a correspondent on the relative merits of capital value (CV) and annual rental value (ARV) assessment. The older British Georgists have always advocated LVT on ARV assessments because until 1993 all UK property taxes were on ARV. It was always taken for granted that LVT would be levied on ARV and this was the case in the 1939 London County Council ...

How land value tax should be applied to land subject to a mortaged was discussed in a talk given by Gavin Putland to the International Union for Land Value Taxation at its conference in April 2010. The text can be downloaded here